Happy Valentine's Day

So my Valentine's day was . . . interesting. Not romantic (not surprisingly). Not depressing (somewhat surprisingly), but odd. Katie, Beth, and I decided to just go out to dinner together. So we got dressed up (relatively speaking . . . we were clean, legs shaved, wearing make-up and jewelry which is the most dressed up we'd been for a month) and decided to go to a place called Justine's which is a slightly expensive restaurant in a hotel with mostly decent Western food. It's quiet and small and we like the atmosphere. Well, we got there and they were, of course, having Valentine's day specials which meant they didn't have the regular menu, just meals sets for 2 people. The meal sets were overpriced and half the stuff that came with them we wouldn't have liked anyways and there were three of us . . . too much for one set, too few for two sets. So we left. And tried another place that's sort of the same idea. Same problem. Then we decided to go to a place we like called the Curry Ladel in honor of our new appreciation for Indian food (their food is Indian with Chinese characteristics). There were no tables there. Very sad. Pizza Hut had a line out the door. We refused to eat at McDonalds for Valentine's day (that would be depressing). Another coffee shop only had meal sets. So we went to one of our favorite little hole-in-the-wall, super cheap peanut flavored noodle/wonton shops that is delicious but a far cry from a "special" meal. Oddly two Canadians came in (very very odd to see more foreigners in Yichang especially in that restaurant) so we ate with them. They're college age kids here in China on an exchange program for two months. We order more food than we ever have before at that little restaurant and the whole meal for the three of us cost 25 yuan ($3.50). Anyways, then we just came home, made coffee and some dessert and girl-talked the rest of the night. Not exactly a Valentine's Day for the record books in the traditional sense, but still memorable.

Oh, thanks to thoughtful Beth for my adorable stuffed teddy bear!